2025/06/14 by Chakraborty, Saugata, Coakley, Annalee
#Ethnic Minority #Immigrant #Newcomer #Racialized #Visible Minority
paper · doi:10.11575/prism/49002
It has been said that COVID-19 places us in the same storm, but in different boats. High River meat packing plant COVID19 outbreak in April 2020 is a study on how socio-ethno-economic factors can play a vital role in COVID-19 spread. 1,560 cases were linked to the plant with 936 employees (out of 1,700) testing positive. Many meatpacking plant workers are newly arrived immigrants and temporary foreign workers. An innovative care pathway (ECIP) emerged to rapidly close the existing gap between primary care and social support agencies to successfully mitigate the spread. Nearly 2,163 households were addressed. 98% of COVID+ employees never saw acute care. Co-designed recruitment strategies with patient advisors played a vital role in gaining trust among impacted communities to share their socio-clinical care experiences. Crucial insights from 41 patient stories were a significant motivator in harnessing the collective potential through collaboration between Government of Alberta, Primary Care Networks and Alberta Health Services in arranging on-site vaccinations at 5 meatpacking plants in the Calgary Zone. Over 3,000 workers were efficiently mass vaccinated in a span of 7 days. Patient experience was overwhelmingly positive. Importantly, ease of vaccine access is trending to be a factor that may positively impact vaccine hesitancy.